Privacy Delays Ad Targeting on Phones

[HardOCP News]

Personally, I think there will be a mass revolt against any system like this that has advertisers targeting and tracking your whereabouts through your phone. Carriers are smart to guard your privacy or end up facing the backlash Facebook did. What do you think?

Your cell phone is a potential gold mine for marketers: It can reveal where you are, whom you call and even what music you like. Considering the phone is usually no more than a few feet away, these are powerful clues for figuring out just the right moment to deliver the right coupon for the store just around the corner.

 

[jmackay]

Screw them sending me ads on my phone. Cell phones are already expensive enough, I don't want them making more money while sending me ads I have to click past to make calls.

 

[brom42]

If I start getting ads on my cell phone, then I am changing carriers to someone who doesn't. Its just that simple.

 

[NeoNemesis]

The day I see a targeted add on my cell phone is the day I snap it in half.

 

[Rebel44]

If I start getting ads on my cell phone, then I am changing carriers to someone who doesn't. Its just that simple.

+1

 

[Methadras]

If I start getting ads on my cell phone, then I am changing carriers to someone who doesn't. Its just that simple.

Win.

 

[nilepez]

The future of phone ads, I suspect will go like this:

You can opt in to have ads play instead of the standard ring tone for incoming calls. By doing that, you'll get a discount on your service or perhaps some extra minutes, text messages etc.

On the other side, I could see them offering discounts to people who allow adds to be shown on their phone, but I think that the ring back tones will do very well.

I may not want to see some crappy ads on my phone, but what do I care if you have to listen to an ad from Slick Used Cars, when it means i save $5.00/month on my bill?

 

[HardOCP News]

The day I see a targeted add on my cell phone is the day I snap it in half.

I'll take it one further and snap someone in half at my cell phone provider...I'll let them pass the message on to the advertisers for me

 

[Ualdayan]

The future of phone ads, I suspect will go like this:

You can opt in to have ads play instead of the standard ring tone for incoming calls. By doing that, you'll get a discount on your service or perhaps some extra minutes, text messages etc.

On the other side, I could see them offering discounts to people who allow adds to be shown on their phone, but I think that the ring back tones will do very well.

I may not want to see some crappy ads on my phone, but what do I care if you have to listen to an ad from Slick Used Cars, when it means i save $5.00/month on my bill?

It's a trap though because people at first say "Well, I'm saving money, I'll put up with it" then the cell phone company will raise their normal prices enough that eventually you're paying what you used to pay AND watching ads. Or look at videogames. Raise the price of games, then turn around and tell us they need advertising revenue too with no break in price at all. Some people even defend that behavior of game companies by saying "but their costs are higher" which a cell phone company could argue too with having to upgrade their equipment for faster data all the time.

 

[Manny Calavera]

The future of phone ads, I suspect will go like this:

You can opt in to have ads play instead of the standard ring tone for incoming calls. By doing that, you'll get a discount on your service or perhaps some extra minutes, text messages etc.

On the other side, I could see them offering discounts to people who allow adds to be shown on their phone, but I think that the ring back tones will do very well.

I may not want to see some crappy ads on my phone, but what do I care if you have to listen to an ad from Slick Used Cars, when it means i save $5.00/month on my bill?

I would have to be offered far more then just 5 dollars a month in savings to agree with this crap.

 

[farfromhome]

It's a trap though because people at first say "Well, I'm saving money, I'll put up with it" then the cell phone company will raise their normal prices enough that eventually you're paying what you used to pay AND watching ads. Or look at videogames. Raise the price of games, then turn around and tell us they need advertising revenue too with no break in price at all. Some people even defend that behavior of game companies by saying "but their costs are higher" which a cell phone company could argue too with having to upgrade their equipment for faster data all the time.

QFT. The only way to stop it is to nip it at the bud and not give those who implement the ads profit.

 

[nilepez]

It's a trap though because people at first say "Well, I'm saving money, I'll put up with it" then the cell phone company will raise their normal prices enough that eventually you're paying what you used to pay AND watching ads. Or look at videogames. Raise the price of games, then turn around and tell us they need advertising revenue too with no break in price at all. Some people even defend that behavior of game companies by saying "but their costs are higher" which a cell phone company could argue too with having to upgrade their equipment for faster data all the time.

I love how people talk about the prices of games going up. I swear, every one must be under 30, because games like Ultima VI and Wing Commander sold for the same price as games are now and games like the original Ultima and Wizardry, as well as most infocom games (pure text games) were $60.00 as well. If you picked up a game like Time Zone, you were looking at $100.00. What's more, game prices tend to drop quickly, so you can easily pay much less if you don't need the game in the first few months.

I would have to be offered far more then just 5 dollars a month in savings to agree with this crap.

I doubt most would agree with you. the subscriber is not the one listening to the ads. For them it's free money. It's possible they might even give more money to subs that get more phone calls.

As for rising prices, I don't know about everyone else, but my cell bills have done nothing but go down for the last 7 or 8 years. What's more, I get more for spending less. I originally got something like 100 or 200 minutes and nights starting at 9pm. Now I get 500min, data, 500 sms and Nights starting at 7pm for $30.00....I originally was paying $35.

If I got to knock my bill down 15 - 20% for nothing, I'd probably do it.

 

[Worldhammer]

For me its not about the savings or any of that crap.

For me it is about not giving any more ground.

We already face a ludicrous barrage from these money grubbing freaks. They have tried to insinuate themselves into pretty much everything that we see. Have had to be chased from our elementary schools since no standard is too low. Have put their software on my pc again and again no matter how many times it is stated they are not welcome to do so. It's high time we replaced all the scumbag lawyer jokes with scumbag advertiser ones.

You know! What do you call a busload of advertisers going over a cliff? A good start! Then maybe I can actually watch something, make a call, open a webpage, leave my house without being badgered relentlessly.

 

[w1retap]

I'd just block it so they couldn't send it to my phone. Custom firmware, registry tweaks, and accept messages only from phonebook.

 

[-O-rigin]

I'll take it one further and snap someone in half at my cell phone provider...I'll let them pass the message on to the advertisers for me

LOL, you sound like me

I'm with ya 110% on that one.

This is insane... how much friggin' worse can this world get with using technology to track, hound and invade the privacy of people? Eh, forget I asked that... friggin' ridiculous.

You know, it used to be that if you wanted privacy, all you had to do was close the damn curtains. At this point, we might as well be walking down the street naked as a babe, with our personal information scrawled down to the cracks of our asses for everyone to see.

wtf...